Race recap: Lifetime Fitness Indoor Triathlon - Orland Park

Lifetime Fitness opened their indoor triathlon racing series over the weekend. The first of 10 races being held around Chicagoland was in Orland Park, IL. I have been eyeballing indoor tris for quite some time. I instead leaped right ahead into outdoor racing. With triathlon season still being a while away, this was the perfect way to get a triathlon fix.

Indoor triathlons are perfect for anyone that may be little tri-curios. Because the time is capped, everyone can go at their own pace and do what they can within 10 minutes for the swim, 30 minutes for the bike, and 20 minutes for the run.

On the way to the club I got lost, ran out of windshield wiper fluid and could barely see the road ahead of me, then crashed my car into pile of snow in an empty parking lot while trying to make a U-turn. So you can probably guess I was late to my wave start. Thankfully there was ONE more wave after mine that I was able to join.

The pool was downstairs and the bikes and treadmills were upstairs. Being spaced out, the set up actually simulated transition in an outdoor tri. There was a 10 minute transition between the swim and bike and a 5 minutes transition between the bike and run.

The swim (10 laps): I was worried because I had not been in the water since August. After a couple of warm-up laps I felt comfortable. The pool being only 4 feet deep helped. I swam freestyle and took rest breaks when needed on the wall. The swim went pretty quickly.

The bike (7.7 miles): This was the longest and most boring part! There’s nothing like riding a bike outdoors with the wind whipping by. The great thing was that music was allowed on the bike and treadmill. So it became a game of pedaling to the beat of each song.

The run (1.60 miles): I started off strong; going hard for the first mile but quickly hit the wall and took two walking breaks before finishing up 20 minutes. The run also seemed to go by in a flash.

Post race there were protein bars, Gatorade and coconut water on hand for replenishment. The staff was great, friendly and helpful. Our wrangler, Coach Julie (I think), guided us through transition and was a great motivator during each discipline. There are zero pictures of myself, but several ladies from my run group completed their first triathlon in an earlier wave and documented the race well!

The indoor tri was a great experience; I hope to complete at least one more before the series ends. If you’re interested in a triathlon but are intimidated, an indoor tri is a great introduction to the sport.

1 comment:

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